In Her Company
by Cinma
Summary: AU. Kiba's finally got the girl, but he's got one problem: getting her to admit it. With her new anthropology partner in the picture, things are getting a little bit more complicated. No one ever said dating Haruno Sakura would be easy. KibaSaku.
1. His Problem

_Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and is no work of mine._

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**In Her Company_  
><em>**

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><p>Haruno Sakura had a daily routine, one that involved spending an unhealthy amount of time at the library with a nice supply of green tea (why she didn't just drink coffee was still a mystery), and a stack of textbooks that would've been extremely heavy for anyone - <em>everyone<em> - else. She'd sit by the table nearest to the entrance, though still close enough to the wall where there was a window that overlooked the quad with the horrendous fountain — one of the university's _many_ attractions. He had had an ample amount of time to observe her ever since the beginning of the summer session, the first time he (un)officially met her.

Kiba had skipped sociology that afternoon, opting instead to take a much needed nap in the library, a place he never dared step foot in unless it was absolutely necessary. Usually he'd wake up to "Dungeon and Dragon" players with their cards splayed across the table, but fortunately for him, it was the sight of tupperware and the smell of cookies that greeted him that time.

They hadn't spoken, hadn't acknowledged each other save for the brief second that their eyes met when he had lifted his head from its position on his backpack. Sakura had continued taking notes - she was taking microbiology at the time - and her eyes never strayed in his direction even once after that, something that managed to leave a slight bruise on Kiba's ego even today.

But she spent her afternoons in the library, taking notes and listening to her iTouch (all filled with alternative and indie music), and he—

He kept coming back.

* * *

><p>It was during the third week of the fall semester at the K when Inuzuka Kiba was given the opportunity to make his move.<p>

Sure, it'd been about one month (and five days) since he had first um, met her, but when all the scheming depended on the pink-haired girl accidentally dropping something— well... let's just say that Haruno Sakura had to be the - if not most - graceful person he's ever known. Or have yet to known... know. And hypothetically let's say Kiba was just a bit impatient after one month - and five days - of observation, so he happened to know the exact moment she'd walk into the large room every single day (12:45pm, to be exact) and gave her a little push.

Or a shove.

But it sent her bottle of green tea rolling, and her textbooks met the floor with a _thump_ that resounded throughout the library, successfully startling the entire room.

.

.

.

"Crap," Kiba said as Sakura dropped to her knees, picking up the sheets of paper that were neatly tucked into her textbooks just moments before. "I am _so_ sorry." Not really.

He made a beeline for the green tea, which was still rolling towards the entrance, almost making it out into the hallway. Kiba picked it up with ease, surprised at how empty it was, and jogged over to where Sakura was currently kneeling.

"It's fine," she replied finally, gathering the last of her notes. Her eyes landed on the pair of sneakers that suddenly appeared in her line of vision, following it until she was face to face with her bottle, dangling innocently from Kiba's hand. "Thanks..."

"No problem," he said easily, offering Sakura a hand (which she politely refused). It was pretty obvious that she was in a hurry to leave by the way she tightened her grip on her belongings and how she discreetly eyed her usual table. So Kiba did the first thing that came to mind, not ready to see her go so soon. Sticking his hand out, he grinned and, "Inuzuka Kiba."

"I," she paused, bringing her attention back to the male before her. "Sakura. Haruno Sakura."

"Calculus?"

"Excuse me?"

Kiba gestured towards her book, chuckling at the adorable expression on her face.

"Oh... yeah," Sakura laughed lightly, embarrassed. "My exam is in two days."

"Mind if I join you?" he asked, then quickly added, "You shouldn't be suffering alone. Especially not with a teacher like Hatake Kakashi."

Surprise flitted across her face, eventually turning into skepticism.

"You took Calculus with him?"

_No. _"Of course." His best friend had complained enough for the both of them, but Sakura didn't need to know that.

"Well," she said somewhat hesitantly, "if you don't mind silences..."

"I love them," Kiba cut in, shooting her a smile that made her flush. Just a little bit.

"If you say so." As she made her way towards the table, her voice drifted behind her. "And maybe during our non-silences, you can tell me why you purposely ran into me."

Sakura turned back to shoot him a look over her shoulder, amusement flickering in her eyes, and Kiba swore for a second he had stopped breathing.

"Blame it on fate," he replied, trailing after her— a smile on his face.

.

.

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.

And so they met.

* * *

><p>"So like, is it <em>official<em> official?" Naruto asked, letting out a loud "HEY!" when Kiba snatched his phone from the blonde's hands.

"What?"

"You know..." he said slowly, as if Kiba would suddenly understand. "Are you guys like... dating now? Like a _thing_?"

"A thing?" Kiba mocked, stuffing his cellphone into his back pocket. "Yes, you _girl._"

"Funny, I couldn't tell."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, I don't know..." Naruto said, leaning back in his chair. "Just that we ran into your girlfriend the other day and she didn't so much as lift a finger to say hi. Or even - you know - acknowledge your existence."

"She didn't see me," he replied, turning back to the novel he was assigned to read for English. _The Sound and the Fury_. Yuck.

"Huh."

Kiba ignored him, making it a point to block out Naruto's annoying tapping and the knowing look on his face. It only took a couple of seconds before he let out a loud groan, shutting his book.

"Okay, so maybe she doesn't say hi."

"Or...?"

"Talk to me." He paused. "In public places."

"Have you at least gone on a date?"

"Study session?"

"_Harsh."_

"I know."

"Like I said," Naruto drawled, grabbing a pencil to balance on his lip. "Are you guys _really _dating? Totally understandable since Sakura-chan is freaking hot and you're just, you know. I'd be embarrassed too—OW!"

"Says the guy who can't even muster up the courage to ask a certain Hyu—"

"DUDE!" Naruto bellowed, the pencil he was balancing earlier clattered onto the table as he reached over to put a hand over Kiba's mouth. "_You said you wouldn't tell!_"

"That was before you blabbed about Sakura!"

"What? Two wrongs do _not_ make a right," Naruto argued, sticking out his bottom lip in a pout. "And this was before I knew you would violate the Bro Code."

"You've got to be kidding me," Kiba replied, exasperated. "Three words: Freedom of Speech."

"Freedom of what?"

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"You guys realize that the cafeteria is across campus, right?"

The pair immediately stopped their argument, turning to the visitor.

"Shikamaru!" Naruto greeted, kicking the chair across from him, offering the brunette a seat.

"What part of this is a library do you not understand?" Kiba hissed, pointing towards the "Please Be Quiet" sign by the fire extinguisher.

The blonde snorted, mouthing Sakura's name to the lazy genius, making a whipping motion in the process.

"Ow!"

"I saw that, _dick_."

"Why are you guys here?" Shikamaru asked again, dropping into the seat next to Kiba.

"I'm supposed to meet Sakura here in about..." Kiba took out his cellphone, flipping it open. Huh. That can't be right. "Hey, is it really—"

"Yup!" Naruto interrupted, a grin on his face. "1 'o' clock. I guess she really _does_ hate your guts..."

"Oh shut up."

"No need to get so angry—"

"I don't want to break up your little love fest," Shikamaru drawled, cracking an eye open, "but I have anthropology with Sakura. I saw her standing by the fountain earlier."

Kiba was the first to speak.

"What? Why?"

"Upcoming presentation," Shikamaru yawned, adjusting his head into a more comfortable position on his backpack. "Partner, exchanging numbers..."

"Girl?"

"Boy."

"Damn," Kiba swore, a little put out. It took him forever to get her number, and some guy in her dumb anthropology class gets to have it because of a prese— "Is she still standing out there?"

"Probably," he replied, already half-asleep. "Looked like they were splitting up the work."

_Of course they were_. "Let's go, Naruto."

"Dude, no," Naruto said, watching the entrance to the library. He paid Shino five bucks to get Hinata to take a small detour here before going home and there was no way he— "Okay, okay! Let go of my shirt!"

* * *

><p>"Is that him?"<p>

"Looks like it."

"Is that hair style supposed to be attractive? It looks like he just rolled out of bed."

"Someone's jealous," Naruto taunted, pushing his face against the window to get a better look. "He looks kind of familiar."

"You're stupid," Kiba snapped, squinting his eyes. "His back is turned towards us, how can you see his—oh."

"Well, your relationship was nice while it lasted."

"A little less negativity, thanks." Wait, is that... "Dude, that guy has the same hand sanitizer as Sakura."

"The one with the weird-ish color?"

"Yeah," Kiba said eventually. "With the fruity protective cover and the small loop that ties into the keychain."

"Wow. It's like a dude version of Sakura."

"I know," he groaned, lightly hitting his head against the window repeatedly. "What are the chances?"

"I think," Naruto began, "you should go and stake your claim."

"Stake my _what_?"

"Your claim," Naruto repeated, eying the pair. "Sakura, _taken_. Bro code? Ring a bell?"

"Screw your Bro Code," Kiba muttered, heading towards the table where Shikamaru was napping to grab his things. "No one follows that - _especially_ if a hot girl is involved... or just Haruno Sakuras."

"Pretty boy doesn't seem like the homewr—"

"He is _not_ pretty. What's wrong with you?"

.

If Sakura was bent on showering him - okay, _paying_ - attention to him only when they were alone, she had another thing coming. He had worked too hard to get noticed by her, and the last thing that he needed was some 'Pretty Boy' with a horrible hairstyle butting in and ruining all of his hard work. By the time he's through, she'll be groveling for his attention and time, waiting after class at the library everyday like some lost pup—

"H-Hey! You promised you'd wait with me, douche!" Naruto whined, staring at a drooling and oblivious Shikamaru. "Where are you going?"

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_"Staking my claim!"  
><em>

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><p><strong>author's note:<strong> I feel satisfied with this first chapter, but at the same time... dissatisfied_. _Should I continue? I'm still tinkering with the plot, so feedback is always welcomed! It's my very first KibaSaku fic, so I have no idea if he's IC or what.

Thank you for reading!_  
><em>


	2. Intervention

_"Right, Guy Code. Um, 'Girlfriends are not allowed to flirt in your presence with another man.' That gives you like, rights to flirt with anyone in a skirt. Within distance, of course."_

"Why would I want to do that?"

_"Obviously she's a whore if she's flirting with guys in front of you. It's called retaliation, duh."_

"... how does that solve anything?"

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**Chapter Two**

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><p>Kiba didn't know what he was expecting when he finally reached the fountain where his girlfriend was, but it certainly wasn't the sight of her and her new anthropology partner being friendly with one another. Since when did Sakura openly laugh like that, anyway? It was hard enough to make her crack a smile without making himself look like a complete idiot, yet this bimbo managed to do it with a snarky comment? Shit was going <em>down<em>.

"Shouldn't you wait until they're done talking?" Naruto grumbled, crossing his arms and looking back up at the window of the library. He _could_ be there right now seeing Hinata, but his insecure and dog-smelling best friend had to be such a—

"Who does that kid think he is?" Kiba said mostly to himself, watching the pair as they chatted amiably with one another. "Hitting on my girlfriend, acting like he owns the place."

"What the _fuck_, Kiba."

"That guy thinks he's so cool," he continued, talking himself into a bad mood, debating on whether or not he should interrupt. "Do you think she likes him?"

"Dude, I don't know." Naruto looked up from the spot where he was glaring a hole into the ground. "And last time I checked, 'staking your claim' didn't mean hiding behind this pigeon-crap covered statue…" He gestured towards the stone monument with his thumb. "Who _is_ this guy, anyway?"

Kiba took a moment to reflect on his rather… impulsive decision. He _had_ said he was going to stake his claim, didn't he? And there was Sakura, standing within walking distance with some pretty-boy that was definitely going to ruin his life. But then again, he and Sakura had barely begun "dating," so did this go against some kind of rule where you weren't allowed to get jealous? Maybe he should ask Shikamaru… someone with a girlfriend because Naruto and his self-proclaimed "Love Guru" meant absolute shit when the kid was pining after some girl with his tail between his legs.

But first… "Do you think she'll get mad if I do?"

Naruto snorted._ "Whipped."_

"At least I'm not pathetic," he retaliated, narrowing his eyes. "How much did you pay Shino, again?"

"Have you _seen_ her cousin?" Naruto defended, pointing towards his eyes. "He sees _everything_. I don't need him or his psychotic family casting spells on me for trying to make moves on Hinata."

"… Why am I even friends with you?" Kiba muttered. "Whatever. Should I just slowly maneuver my way into their path?"

"Too obvious," Naruto said immediately, rubbing his chin. "I say you just interrupt them and lock her away where no one will ever be able to see her except you."

"Yeah," Kiba drawled, rolling his eyes, "if I wanted to be single for the rest of my life."

"You already _are_ single," Naruto reminded, looking over his shoulder at the pair who were still chatting away. "Sakura, girlfriend… no proof, remember?"

"You ass, I told you we're dating!"

"_Who's dating who?"_

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The pair snapped their heads to the owner of the voice.

"Hey guys," Sakura greeted, shifting her books closer to her chest. "Why are you guys standing behind a statue?"

"Uh…"

"We were waiting," Kiba said suddenly. "For uh, Hinata."

"Dude_, what did I te—"_

Kiba elbowed him in the stomach, sending Naruto a look.

"Yeah," Naruto coughed, rubbing the sore spot. "You know, since Hinata goes this way."

"She does?" Sakura raised a brow. "I'm pretty sure she's in class right now…"

"Oh."

There was an awkward pause.

"Where did your friend go?" Kiba finally asked, noticing that his girlfriend had arrived alone. Not that he was complaining, of course. "The one you were talking to?"

"Sasuke?" Sakura asked, looking behind her for said male. "Probably left. Can you believe he's taking the maximum number of units? And he's taking extra classes at the local community colleges." She smiled. "I don't feel like such a nerd, anymore."

_What the heck was _wrong_ with that guy?_

"So…" Kiba began, "will I get to meet him?"

"He's kind of… anti-social," Sakura explained. "Not into big groups and all that."

_Sure he is._

"Oh, no biggie."

It was Naruto's turn to elbow Kiba in the gut.

"_Liar."_

"Naruto!" Kiba hissed, slapping the blonde on the back of his head. "What the hell?"

"Okay…" Sakura said, eyeing the two. She looked over at Kiba. "Did you want to go to the library to study? I have a huge exam for biology…"

"Study date?" Naruto snickered, earning a glare.

"Shut up," Kiba snapped, then turned to smile at Sakura. "Sure."

"We'll see you later, I guess," Sakura said, waving to Naruto as the pair walked off.

Kiba stuck his arm behind his back without Sakura noticing, sticking up his middle finger to the laughing blonde.

* * *

><p>Twenty-minutes of absolute silence so far, and Kiba was just itching to interrogate her. So far, he knew enough about Sasuke to come to the conclusion that he hated that guy's guts. Like, <em>hated<em> him. Was it just a coincidence that he and his girlfriend owned the exact _same_ hand sanitizer? Or that they were both over-achievers when it came to their education? Sakura was the only person he knew in the entire university that was taking extra classes at two other colleges, as well as eighteen units here at the K.

Where did this guy come from, anyway? Stalking her, _that's_ what.

"Um, are you okay?" Sakura asked, interrupting Kiba from his inner-rambling.

"Yeah…" he paused. "Why?"

"Well, by now you're usually complaining about your Spanish homework," she said slowly, a frown marring her lips. "And you've been glaring at my keychain for the past ten minutes."

"Oh…" Kiba said lamely, then realized he hadn't answered her question. "Well, I… uh, there's a stain on your bottle."

Sakura eyebrows shot up, her eyes darting to her sanitizer. "Really? Where?"

Kiba couldn't help but smile at how easily bothered she was by small specks and germs. After a couple of minutes of watching her inspect the bottle thoroughly, Kiba covered her hands in his, brushing his fingers against hers as he pulled the keychain towards his face and let out an amused chuckle.

"Huh, I guess it's gone."

Sakura glared at him for a while, but then rolled her eyes and smiled. She stuck her hand out. Kiba returned it to her, deciding that he might as well open his Spanish book so she'd concentrate. _The things I do. _Then suddenly the thought of that prick spending time with his amazing girlfriend creeped back into his mind, and Kiba found himself scowling all over again.

Well, it couldn't hurt.

"Before you start studying," Kiba said, covering the hand she was using to write – causing her 'l' to drag out longer than necessary.

She gave him an exasperated look.

"You've been pretty touchy today," she commented, biting her lip in slight irritation. Thankfully it was only a quarter of a page so far; it wouldn't take long to rewrite her notes. "And you've been acting—"

"You can sanitize your hands later," he said quickly, then finally he mustered enough courage to ask, "does that guy know you have a boyfriend?"

"…weird," Sakura finished. Then his words finally processed. "What guy?"

"Sasuke."

"I don't know, probably not…why?"

"_Shouldn't_ he know?" Kiba pressed, turning a page in his book so he wouldn't have to meet her eyes. "I mean, you've been spending quite some time with him lately."

"Kiba," Sakura said, her voice flat. "I met him this morning."

"I'm just saying!" Kiba defended, lowering his voice when he realized people were starting to send him dirty looks. "Guys only have one thing on their mind, these days."

She looked at him pointedly.

"Okay, except me."

Most of the time, anyway.

"If you're so worried," Sakura said eventually, using her free hand to peel his away from hers, "you can come with us during our meet-ups."

What?

"Really?" He did nothing to mask his surprise.

"No." Kiba's face fell. "Just kidding… jeez. If you want to, I guess. I'll have to ask Sasuke first though; I won't mind it, but _he_ might." She bit the end of her pen, thinking. "Or I can just introduce you guys…"

"Introducing is fine," Kiba said instantly, feeling somewhat relieved.

If the guy turns out to be some major flirt, he'll definitely tag along to _every _meet-up.

"What brought this on?" Sakura asked, suddenly suspicious.

"Naruto," he replied without thinking. _Crap_. Uh… "You know… he was telling me this story about uh, crazy anthropology partners who—you know, murdered… girls."

"_Anthropology_ partners, really?"

"It might have been psychology," Kiba said easily, pretending to recall a non-existent conversation. "But you know, just looking after you." He smiled.

"Right…" Sakura didn't seem convinced. "_Now_ can we study?"

"Yup."

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.

.

Kiba was satisfied – for now, anyway.

* * *

><p>After three hours of non-stop studying – on Sakura's part, anyway – the couple parted ways since she had a lecture to attend. Usually by this time, Kiba would head to the cafeteria to get some much needed food after suppressing his hunger for Sakura's sake (she hated taking breaks while she was in "study mode"). Any time after that was fair game, though. What Kiba hadn't planned on, however, was spotting a very familiar raven-haired male stopping by the drinking fountain for some water.<p>

To confront or not to confront. _Hm…_

His legs had already begun walking towards Sasuke without him realizing, and before he knew it, he was standing next to him. Sasuke stopped drinking, releasing his hold on the button and stood straight, raising a brow as he wiped the drops of water from his mouth. Said male then attempted to move to the side, thinking Kiba wanted to use the fountain, only for his path to be blocked.

Kiba offered him a smile, though Sasuke wasn't having any of it.

"Do I know you?" he asked rather rudely.

"Nope," Kiba answered, sticking his hand out. "I'm Kiba. Inuzuka Kiba."

"Fantastic," Sasuke replied unenthusiastically, stepping to the side to leave, only to be blocked. _Again_. "Did you need something?"

Kiba was annoying the hell out of the guy, but he couldn't help himself.

"You're Sasuke, right? Sakura told me about you," he explained, finally earning a not-so-rude reaction.

"You know her?"

"Of course," Kiba confirmed. "She's my girlfriend."

* * *

><p><strong>author's note: <strong>This chapter was a lot of fun to write, it really was. And I searched up "Guy Code" and it had a bunch of lists of rules and whatever nonsense, so I thought it'd be fun to incorporate it in the beginning of each chapter.

And I'm positive that by the time I finish this story, Naruto would have said "dude" about a hundred times... but thank you for reading and the wonderful reviews! Spread the KibaSaku love!


	3. Insecurity

"_According to El Code, any threats – aka Pretty Boy – to your property, also known as Haruno Sakura, can be protected. Rightfully, of course."_

"And by 'rightfully,' you mean…"

"_With a gun."_

"Are you_ insane_? Why would I want to kill him?"

"_Why _wouldn't_ you?"_

.

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**Chapter Three**

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><p>Okay, so maybe he should have thought this through before staking his claim.<p>

_Without_ the object of his affection here to accompany him…

(_Not like Sakura was an object… or anything_).

—because now he just looked like a complete idiot.

.

.

"She's your girlfriend…" Sasuke repeated slowly, raising a brow skeptically.

"Um, yeah."

There was a moment of absolute silence.

'Huh,' Kiba thought, 'Was that a cricket or—'

"And you're telling me this… _why_?"

Kiba opened his mouth to speak, but then realized he simply hadn't thought before confronting Sakura's anthropology partner. And not like he'd ever admit it, but the guy really _was_ good-looking up close. Damn. That really sucked. It was a shame that the kid looked like he was in constant pain…like he was lamenting over the loss of his whole family because his older brother went rogue and killed them or something.

"Just so you… know," Kiba answered lamely, feeling the confidence from moment's before slip from his grasp. "Don't want you to get any ideas. Like, you know, mooching off of her hard work…"

Wow, he was seriously digging his own grave with this one.

Hadn't his girlfriend said this guy was a genius?

Smooth, Kiba. _Smooth._

"Don't you mean ideas about stealing your girlfriend right from under your nose?" Sasuke asked, a hint of amusement in his voice. By this time, he was sporting a full-on smirk, looking more arrogant than ever.

Too shocked to answer intelligibly, all that came out was a—

"What?"

"Typical," he heard Sasuke muttered, followed by an uncharacteristic snort.

_That_ he was able to respond to.

"What do you mean _typical_?" Kiba asked, feeling slightly offended. Who did this guy think he was?

"Does Sakura even know you're here 'confronting' me?" he asked, completely ignoring Kiba's question.

"Don't flatter yourself," Kiba said, forcing out a light-hearted chuckle under the guy's inquisitive stare. "It was a coincidence that I even ran into you."

"Right," Sasuke commented dryly. "And that answer would have been wholly convincing if I hadn't seen you watching me like a hawk from that locker over there."

"What?" Kiba spluttered, feeling his cheeks burn. "Maybe if you hadn't been trying to make moves on my _girlfriend_, I would see no need to confront you!"

"So you _are_ confronting me."

Wha—

_Sneaky bastard._

Damn him and his goddamn smirks.

"Whatever."

Not wanting to embarrass himself further, Kiba wisely refrained from arguing though he was oh-so-tempted to wring the dude's neck.

Kiba fumed silently as he walked past the smirking teenager, 'accidentally' knocking his shoulder into Sasuke's. It was – _extremely_ – immature but it made him feel better about losing his dignity. A lot better. Even as Kiba made his way to the lunchroom, he could feel Sasuke smirking like a madman behind him.

_Smirk._

_Smirk._

_Smirk._

Kiba gritted his teeth.

"Seriously, screw that guy!"

* * *

><p>There was no doubt about it – Sasuke was a total ass.<p>

Like douchebag-kind-of-ass… not the other kind.

_As if the guy was even _worth_ playing the other field for._

Even thinking about that damned smirk on his just-a-little-perfect face made him want to punch something… Kiba groaned, smothering the pillow over his face in frustration. This was the first time he lost his appetite from being so angry! After the encounter, he had walked past the cafeteria and drove home in a rage, almost hitting irritatingly slow pedestrians in the process.

"_Ugh."_

If his girlfriend had been anyone but Sakura, he wouldn't have reacted…

At all.

The pink-haired teenager just had to be breathtakingly gorgeous, intelligent, funny (in a sarcastic, kind of way), and her need to wash her hands every single second was just so fucking _adorable_. She really was going to be the death of him one day, he just knew it. Gone were the "glory days" when he had been akin to a God among the females… all the girls throughout middle school (and some in high school) had all but fought each other just to have a chance to go on a date with him.

And now here he was… jealous over some guy who just happened to be equally smart as his current love interest.

He was – _dare he say it?_ – insecure.

The word itself was disgusting.

.

.

.

Kiba could hardly blame Sakura for his insecurity…

Sure she didn't outright acknowledge him in public, didn't believe in "personal displays of affection," and made it a habit to sanitize her hands after every bit of contact between them. Okay, so maybe she _was_ the reason he felt so insecure. She was his girlfriend, damn it! The least she could do was declare her undying love from the top of Mount Everest!

Or you know, bake him cookies… _anything_.

Kiba glared at the frame hanging on his wall that held his last Spanish test. The test that he had – miraculously – received a hundred-percent on…

That was the only moment throughout their time together that Sakura had actually smiled at him. _For_ him.

It was also the only time that he had Sakura's undivided attention.

Her midterms had already passed so she was free for the time being, using that week to help him study for his huge exam.

Just thinking about how much of an adorable nag she had been made him smile.

.

.

.

.

Right.

Haruno Sakura.

_Problem._

.

"What to do…" Kiba muttered to himself.

Operation _Stake-Your-Claim_ had been an utter failure.

Thank you, Naruto.

… _Not_.

.

.

.

As much as he wanted to believe that Mr. Not-Perfect was his problem—he wasn't.

The source of his insecurity was Sakura, and the only way he can overcome it is to fix the problem at its source.

His brilliant solution?

_Operation Douche-bag._

… Well, maybe not too much of a douche.

A voice in the back of his mind nagged that it was a horrible idea to give his girlfriend a taste of her own medicine, but the other part of him felt that his pride was at stake. As much as he liked his girlfriend and the time they spent together, there were things in a relationship that you can't help but notice despite how happy you are.

And Sakura… he didn't even know if she was happy with how things were.

Or if she was even happy with _him_.

They had met after he initiated their meeting, hung out because he himself had asked her, and she had agreed to date him because he – once again – asked. Not once had she shown interest, shown affection… or even hinted that she enjoyed his company. She rarely smiled or laughed unless there were others with them, and it seemed like he was the only person who cared.

.

.

.

Funny how he only begun to notice the problems in their relationship when Sasuke was brought into the picture.

Maybe Sakura meeting the prick wasn't such a bad thing, after all.

Operation Douche-bag it is, then.

.

.

.

As if on cue, his phone vibrated twice on the table next to him.

He flipped his phone open, staring at the screen for a moment... conflicted. Eventually - albeit reluctantly - he tossed his phone into the open drawer, letting out a sigh.

"I'm going to sleep."

Kiba reached over to switch his lamp off, pulling the comforter over his body, closing his eyes as he got situated. He ignored the buzzing sound of the phone as it vibrated a few more times, the flashing name on the screen emitting a small light that peeked out of the cracks of his drawer.

.

.

.

_Sakura calling...  
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><p><strong>author's note:<strong> ... Yeah, I'm pretty sure we've all done this. IT'S OKAY, YOU ARE NOT ALONE! The semester is ending in two months so hopefully I can get back into writing-mode! I feel guilty for letting the months slip by with no updates whatsoever.

But thank you everyone! Although I don't have time to respond to your reviews, I DO read them! And I flail, smile, and it just makes my day after having to suffer through endless mounds of homework.


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